What has 16.2" chain stays, titanium, and can make me smile for 90min?

90min smile because that is how long the trail is
shout out to the canfield nimble 9, my previous bike. This new bike's geometry is based off the n9. 412mm chain stays, 68.5 degree headtube angle
This year I have gone thru 4 frames. After riding the canfield, which gets much praise here, I knew what this geometry was what i needed. I've always wanted titanium. This is my first, and i can see why it is so coveted.

close up of plate chain stays to clear the crank/tire
also had the builder bridge the two stays for extra stiffness

Real nice. Looking at the clearance between the tire and the yoke, I wonder, was it necessary to do a yoke? Looks like some slightly ovalized tubes would still clear. 'Specially if running a single ring?

Not meaning to criticize your pony, thing is bad ass. I've been wanting a shorter stayed 29er since before I actually took the splash and built a 29er up (this past summer, just a Stumpy HT frame with XT and XTR parts).

Can you describe what it does for your riding personally? I miss having the finessing control over the rear wheel that I had when riding 26". I still do, but it just takes that little bit more effort on the 29er and that's the one gripe with the bigger wheels that I have stuck in my craw. But I wonder if that has more to do with the length of the ass end than it does with the diameter of the wheels...

Real nice. Looking at the clearance between the tire and the yoke, I wonder, was it necessary to do a yoke? Looks like some slightly ovalized tubes would still clear. 'Specially if running a single ring?

Not meaning to criticize your pony, thing is bad ass. I've been wanting a shorter stayed 29er since before I actually took the splash and built a 29er up (this past summer, just a Stumpy HT frame with XT and XTR parts).

Can you describe what it does for your riding personally? I miss having the finessing control over the rear wheel that I had when riding 26". I still do, but it just takes that little bit more effort on the 29er and that's the one gripe with the bigger wheels that I have stuck in my craw. But I wonder if that has more to do with the length of the ass end than it does with the diameter of the wheels...

the builder said to get the stays this short, i would have to run the plates
wasn't going to argue with him
my guess is if you squish the tubing too much it will be weakened

as for the handling, it sounds like you are perfect candidate for a short CS bike
i will try my best to explain it
the frame i had before the nimble 9 was a niner mcr
very nice frame, VERY different geometry
the mcr has 17.5 chain stays, 70.5 degree headtube angle
i loved the bike, but it didn't give me confidence
after moving to the n9 i saw the light
the mcr turns by turning the bars
the n9 turns by moving your hips, you can actually feel it pivot off the rear wheel
also since the n9 has a 69 degree headtube angle it gave me much better high speed stability. bikes with long stays and slack headtubes have long wheel bases, which will make it handle poorly But since this has a short chain stay, the wheel base is nearly identical to a "normal" geometry bike

i think the only reason more manufacturers are not building these designs is cost
it is more expensive to create a frame with an offset or curved seat tube

the builder said to get the stays this short, i would have to run the plates
wasn't going to argue with him
my guess is if you squish the tubing too much it will be weakened

as for the handling, it sounds like you are perfect candidate for a short CS bike
i will try my best to explain it
the frame i had before the nimble 9 was a niner mcr
very nice frame, VERY different geometry
the mcr has 17.5 chain stays, 70.5 degree headtube angle
i loved the bike, but it didn't give me confidence
after moving to the n9 i saw the light
the mcr turns by turning the bars
the n9 turns by moving your hips, you can actually feel it pivot off the rear wheel
also since the n9 has a 69 degree headtube angle it gave me much better high speed stability. bikes with long stays and slack headtubes have long wheel bases, which will make it handle poorly But since this has a short chain stay, the wheel base is nearly identical to a "normal" geometry bike

i think the only reason more manufacturers are not building these designs is cost
it is more expensive to create a frame with an offset or curved seat tube

I hear ya and respect that! They're the builder for a reason. I think I could really benefit from a 29er like this. Thanks a ton for explaining the concept and handling characteristics to me. I need to ride one for sure. Maybe at some point I'll do an SS or a 1x10.

Maybe that's the reason why more companies aren't doing it. It just isn't a sell to everyone kind of thing. Because of the shorter stays it can only run SS or 1X since the front derailleur would whack the tire and result in blues singing. Most people just don't want that. They want something they can granny up the hill, and making frames that won't even humor that won't sell well. Just my guess. I'm probably wrong though. For instance though, I have XTR trail cranks 38x26 on my custom built Stumpy HT. The 38 is fine, the 26 is too low. I need a 27 or 28 for the inner. Doing a search today for that very sort of application found nothing but people complaining about the 26 being to high, not too low.

Everything you said about the short CS slack HT is true. They're marketed as AM bikes, but are great woods bikes. My N9 rails single track as good as my WTB, but adds the roll over capability of the big wheels. It makes my Salsa and the Spot it replaced feel like school buses. Climbing is (almost) fun again, you just stand up and go for it.

America: where minorities fear their kids getting shot, and white people fear their kids getting shots.

How's the rest of the ride? Does the backend eat up chatter or is it super stiff ? How does the front end handle the 120mm fork? How's the bottom bracket stiffness?

it does everything well, as far as i can tell
seems to soak up bumps better than my chromoly nimble 9, but doesn't feel flexy
first time running a 120mm on a 29er. I had a 100mm reba on my n9. i need a stiffer spring for the manitou. even with it being a little soft having the extra travel is nice.